Boolean Search Terms: AND, OR, NOT Searching with Extensions: .edu, .gov, .k12, .mil, .org, .com Personal Pages: The presence of a name in the URL such as jdoe and a tilde ~ or % or the word users or people or members frequently means you are on a personal web site. Quotation Marks: Use “quotation marks” to ensure your keywords appear in your search results in the order you have specified. Country Codes:Use country codes to search for subject specific resources around the world (e.g. site:za)
Websites to Validate:
All About Explorers:http://www.allaboutexplorers.comIf you teach anything about exploration, this site is a must. It’s smart, slick and cleverly done, plus has a host of great activities.
California’s Velcro Crop Under Challenge:http://home.inreach.com/kumbach/velcro.htmlDid you know about the Velcro shortage in California? Use this fun site to help students separate fact from fiction on the web.
Dihydrogen Monoxide:http://www.dhmo.orgWho knew water could be so hazardous. A good site to use with middle school students. Have them click through the forward links on the site. Does the web site reference any other authors?
Feline Reactions to Bearded Men:http://improbable.com/airchives/classical/cat/cat.htmlA fun site to use when teaching kids how to validate web resources. Science teachers take note! This site pokes fun at the scientific method.
Martin Luther King:http://www.martinlutherking.orgThis seemingly innocent web site address calls for the abolition of Martin Luther King Day and promotes White Pride. Content is inappropriate for all ages.
Stormfront:http://www.stormfront.orgThe publishers of this site also host the Martin Luther King site. It may be blocked by an Internet filter.
The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus:http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus.htmlDoes the Octopus really exist? A great site to use with all ages. Have students click through the links and read web addresses carefully.
Searching the Internet
Start here with an Info Literacy Quiz.docPublisher of a Website: http://www.easywhois.com/
The History of a Website: http://www.archive.org/ (The Wayback Machine)
Who links to a Website: To find the external links, conduct this search with the link: command.
(e.g. What links here?)
Finding Information:
It's not enough to know how to do basic Google searches.
Boolean Search Terms: AND, OR, NOT
Searching with Extensions: .edu, .gov, .k12, .mil, .org, .com
Personal Pages: The presence of a name in the URL such as jdoe and a tilde ~ or % or the word users or people or members frequently means you are on a personal web site.
Quotation Marks: Use “quotation marks” to ensure your keywords appear in your search results in the order you have specified.
Country Codes:Use country codes to search for subject specific resources around the world (e.g. site:za)
Websites to Validate: